Peat Inn combines the history of a house with a pilgrimage route that passes through the area, and the Bankhead Moss SSSI nature reserve directly west of the village. This gives you three distinct themes to consider when choosing where to stay: the landscape, the changing uses of The Peat Inn, and the pilgrimage tradition of St Margaret’s Way. Depending on what matters to you, the area may appeal for its nature, history or connection to a route.
Nature reserve west of the village
Bankhead Moss SSSI lies directly west of the village of Peat Inn. Its location adds a distinct connection to the landscape to the history of the house. If you would like to take both nature and local history into account when making your choice, you can weigh them separately: the nature reserve represents protected landscape, while The Peat Inn represents the history of a particular house.
The history of The Peat Inn
The Peat Inn is believed to have been built on this site in the mid-18th century. Over the course of its history, the original building served as a coaching inn, hotel, pub and restaurant. The approximate date places its origins in time; its various functions show how the role of the house changed over the years. Its history, then, is not just a date, but also encompasses several forms of hospitality.
The Peat Inn is a Michelin-starred restaurant with rooms. This brings together the building’s former uses and its present-day status as a restaurant with rooms: two perspectives on the same name that appeal to different interests.
Distinguishing the pilgrimage route from the circular walk
St Margaret’s Way is an approximately 100 km route from Edinburgh to St Andrews that passes by Peat Inn. On the way to St Andrews, the route follows in the footsteps of earlier pilgrims. Its approximate length describes the full connection between the two cities; it is not a distance figure for a section near Peat Inn. This helps distinguish the scale of the route from its connection to the area.
The Cameron Reservoir & Bankhead Moss Circular is described as a circular walk and starts at Cameron Reservoir. Here, the starting point is a specific reference for planning. By contrast, St Margaret’s Way can be understood through its endpoints, approximate total length and connection to pilgrimage. The two route descriptions therefore differ in terms of route type and scale. If you are mainly interested in the pilgrimage tradition, St Margaret’s Way is the relevant route; if you are considering a circular walk, the start at Cameron Reservoir is the relevant detail. Check conditions before setting out on a walk.
When deciding where to travel, Peat Inn brings together different questions: How important are protected landscapes and the history of the house to you? Do you value the history of a house, or are you more interested in the historical connection of a pilgrimage route? And would you like to consider a longer connection between two cities or a circular walk based on its named starting point? These distinctions help you choose the area according to your interests without treating the different themes as a single outing.
Discover more destinations: Luthrie, St Andrews, Cellardyke, Blairhall, Cowdenbeath, Leuchars, Pittenweem, Lundin Links
For the wider travel overview: Fife.
